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• Mel's profile

Meet our people

How long have you been at GSK?
I joined GSK on the IT Development Programme in September 2007.

What made you apply to GSK?
I had heard positive feedback from friends, who had worked at GSK before, around the work / life balance, the level of professionalism within the company and its strong ethical code. Coupled with GSK’s reputation as a leader within the pharmaceutical industry and its clear message to improve the lives of others, I decided that GSK was the ideal company for me. The three year rotation scheme was a key attraction as I wasn’t sure what kind of role I wanted to do once I had left University.

What made you apply to the IT Development Programme?
The IT Development Programme enables associates to try out different roles within different Business Units, which is the perfect opportunity for me to gain a wide breadth of experience whilst building up a solid network across the organisation. I was looking for a graduate scheme that offered ongoing career progression, backed up with training and development opportunities and a clear support network. The IT Development Programme ticked all the boxes.

What was your first role?
My first role was working as a service analyst in Corporate Legal IT on an application that was rolled out to more than 22,000 users across GSK. This involved liaising with people all across the organisation from the offshore developers in India, to the internal infrastructure team in the US, to senior stakeholders in the UK. My main deliverable during this rotation was to implement a new change management process, following the ITIL framework, for 75 Legal IT applications. Whilst extremely challenging and stressful at times, this role enabled me to gain experience in working and communicating with people in different parts of the organisation, and gave me exposure to managing an application in its operational stage.

What have been your subsequent roles?
I have moved into my current role as a Project Manager in R&D IT (Research and Development IT). I am responsible for managing and delivering a number of projects across the whole development lifecycle (from business justification through to transition to support and closure), working closely with service owners, business customers and IT stakeholders. This involves taking responsibility for assigning and monitoring the work schedule of my IT team (business analyst and technical lead) as well as negotiating contracts with external vendors and managing those interactions throughout the project. Again, this role has been a real challenge however it has allowed me to gain invaluable experience in managing and delivering projects in a highly validated area of the business.

What kind of support do you get?
The support structure available on the IT Development Programme is a key strength to the scheme. There are several managers (including Directors and Vice Presidents) within GSK who coach and mentor associates through the three years on the scheme. Personally, I have found these individuals to be extremely supportive and have helped me significantly in making the right career decisions for me. In addition, the associates form a tight-knit community and are always available to offer each other advice or support. The buddy system allows associates to ask each other questions they may not necessarily feel comfortable asking their manager.

What is the company culture like for you?
At GSK, great importance is put on work / life balance – people really do work hard and play hard here. There is a focus on delivery; however people give you the freedom to deliver in the way that best suits you. Everyone is extremely supportive and friendly, and people have a positive attitude towards work and strive for success.

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